Florida Gators
9-2, 1-1SEC
Kentucky
9-5, 2-0SEC
No. 24 Kentucky Edges No. 5 Florida, 3-1
Sunday, September 27, 2015 | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Sophomore outside hitter Carli Snyder slammed down a season-best 16 kills and scooped up a career-high 14 digs for her third double-double this season, but the No. 5 Gators fell to No. 24 Kentucky 3-1 in an early league test at the O'Connell Center Sunday afternoon.
While the Gators jumped out to a 25-22 set-one victory, Kentucky (9-5, 2-0 SEC) took the next three frames 25-23, 25-21, 25-21 for the 3-1 final in both teams' second league contest. Sunday's tilt marked the Gators' fifth top-25 clash this season; UF moved to 9-2 overall, 1-1 in the SEC and 3-2 against ranked opponents so far this season.
A physical and aggressive Wildcats squad challenged the Orange and Blue Sunday as the Gators had a tough time finding a groove and stringing together scoring runs. Alongside Snyder's double-double performance, there were several other highlights for the Gators, including sophomore Rhamat Alhassan's .429 clip thanks to 14 kills and a floor-high six blocks. Alhassan led UF with 17.5 points, while Snyder was close behind with 17. Senior libero Nikki O'Rourke had a match-best 19 digs and junior right side Alex Holston notched 10 digs to aid UF's back-row efforts.
Sophomore defensive specialist Sam Dubiel made her first start as a Gator Sunday, while redshirt freshman defensive specialist Lindsey Rogers' number was also called. Rogers rose to the occasion and led UF on a crucial serving run in the third set as the Gators fended off four Wildcat set points.
Florida continued to dominate in blocks with 12.5, compared to Kentucky's six, but the Wildcats served up nine aces to the Gators' four, and hit .201 to UF's .190 through the match thanks in part to UK's solid passing efforts.
The Gators will be on the road for two matches next week at Missouri and Arkansas before returning to the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Oct. 9 for a weekend home stand against Texas A&M (10/9) and Auburn (10/11) Friday and Sunday, respectively.
MARY'S MINUTE
“All credit to Kentucky. They came in here and played well in all aspects of the game. Today they were the better team and deserved to win, but what a great learning opportunity for our team.”
BY THE NUMBERS
· 12.5 | Blocks for the Gators against Kentucky, making eight straight double-digit blocking matches for Florida as a team
· 14 | Digs for sophomore outside hitter Carli Snyder, a new career high
· 3 | Career double-doubles for Snyder following Sunday's 16 kill, 14 dig performance against No. 24 Kentucky
UP NEXT
Florida will hit the road for a pair of away matches, first a mid-week clash at Missouri Wednesday before embarking upon another Midwest town in Fayetteville, Ark., for a Sunday afternoon match up. Both the UF-Missouri and UF-Arkansas matches will air live on the SEC Network. First serve in Columbia is 8 p.m. ET, while the Gators and Razorbacks clash at 4 p.m. ET Sunday.
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